Foreign Tourists scammed in Thailand can now claim for compensation

According to the Tourism Department foreign tourists who are under the impression that they have been scammed while here in Thailand can now file a complaint for compensation with the Thai government.

The Director General of the Tourism Department Anant Wongbenjarat stated that foreign tourists could now file a compensation claim with his department if they feel they were scammed by a registered tour company which failed to operate as advertised.

It was reported that compensation will come from the Tourists Business Protection Fund.

The fund is paid for by registered tour companies who are required to pay between 10,000 baht to 200,000 baht depending on the size of their business.

The fund will then be used to pay out tourists who are the victim of unscrupulous tour companies.

Once a successful claim has been paid the Tourism Department will then claim the money back from the tour company at fault, if they fail to comply they could have their license suspended or revoked.

It was stressed that claims for compensation could only be made against registered tour companies or operators.

No claims will be paid out for people using unregistered companies.

The Director-General urged that all tourists check that their tour company is registered with the Tourism Department prior to booking their services.